Dear Loved Ones,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries this week!
Do you have a loved one who has acheived high honors!
Our older brother. David, continues to make us proud at every turn. This time we all got to go to MSU to see him receive an Honory Doctorate in Humanities and deliver a speech at commencement. We are all bursting our buttons with pride.
Being the younger sibling of a brilliant philanthropist has not always been easy, especially in school when teachers expected the same academic acheivement and honorable character as our older brother, but as hard as it was, it was a blessing. He inspired us to reach for the greater good in our work and charity to others.
It would be easy to feel like we are less in comparison to him, but time and life have taught us to simply be proud of him and celebrate his acheivements without diminishing our own. We are a unified group of siblings who cherish one another, even though we tease hard. We can be happy for one another without feeling badly about ourselves.
The dinner we celebrated was great fun, with delicious food, fine wines, and abundant laughter. We retired to finely decorated hotel rooms that were provided by the university and met for breakfast the next morning. Parting was such sweet sorrow.
When I came home, our house was cluttered and I had to clean it right away. Returning to normal life after living in an idyllic world for 24 hours took a little time. But it was lovely to come home to a sweet husband and two beautiful teens who make good choices.
Now it is five days later. We have had a magical time cutting and decorating our Christams tree, especially considering that it is our daughter's first Christmas. We snuggled on the couch under a blanket to watch "A Christmas Story" which is my favorite holiday movie. Phoebe sang in a Christmas Choir concert which was glorious. We all went back to work or school and the house is cluttered again.
It's time to recreate the magic of our home at the holidays, clean, well decorated, with delicious scents coming from the kitchen, and Nat King Cole singing "Chestnuts roasting on an open fire..."
Love, Sue
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Catching Up
Dear Loved Ones,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries this week!
Do you have a loved one with whom you are so bonded that it doesn't matter how long it's been since you saw one another, it feels like no time has passed at all?
That's how I feel when I get together with my siblings. My sister, Debbie and I spent a day together on the prettiest day in October when the colors were at the peak of their glory to drive over to Lake Michigan. When we stopped to buy stain for her deck, I spotted a box of giant red tulip bulbs and bought them on impulse to plant in my garden as a reminder of the lovely day that we were enjoying.
After lunch we stained Deb's deck and still had time to put together a vintage Norman Rockwell puzzle called "Off to Collage" before hosting an intimate dinner for Dad and Bev. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day. The only down side was that Dad was greiving over Max the loyal dog that I gave to Dad when Max was still a puppy, as a surprize.
Lazy me set the bulbs aside for a few weeks until Deb returned in November for another sister puzzle day. Just before she arrived I planted the bulbs as a reminder of that day as well.
Time with my siblings is especially sweet and tender because of the loss we feel from losing our youngest sister in a car accident when she was 33 years old. We understand the value of a sibling; no one else shares all of those memories.
Sometimes I hear people talk about conflict with their siblings and wish that they too understood how important siblings can be. However I do not wish that they go through what we did to discover this knowledge.
I am often reminded of how short and precious life is and how lucky we are to have people in our lives with whom we can share love and joy.
Love, Sue
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries this week!
Do you have a loved one with whom you are so bonded that it doesn't matter how long it's been since you saw one another, it feels like no time has passed at all?
That's how I feel when I get together with my siblings. My sister, Debbie and I spent a day together on the prettiest day in October when the colors were at the peak of their glory to drive over to Lake Michigan. When we stopped to buy stain for her deck, I spotted a box of giant red tulip bulbs and bought them on impulse to plant in my garden as a reminder of the lovely day that we were enjoying.
After lunch we stained Deb's deck and still had time to put together a vintage Norman Rockwell puzzle called "Off to Collage" before hosting an intimate dinner for Dad and Bev. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day. The only down side was that Dad was greiving over Max the loyal dog that I gave to Dad when Max was still a puppy, as a surprize.
Lazy me set the bulbs aside for a few weeks until Deb returned in November for another sister puzzle day. Just before she arrived I planted the bulbs as a reminder of that day as well.
Time with my siblings is especially sweet and tender because of the loss we feel from losing our youngest sister in a car accident when she was 33 years old. We understand the value of a sibling; no one else shares all of those memories.
Sometimes I hear people talk about conflict with their siblings and wish that they too understood how important siblings can be. However I do not wish that they go through what we did to discover this knowledge.
I am often reminded of how short and precious life is and how lucky we are to have people in our lives with whom we can share love and joy.
Love, Sue
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Lost and Found
Dear Loved Ones,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries this week!
It's been forever since I wrote to you and I apologize. I took a job as an activities provider at a memory care facility and have been working a lot. Plus we added a new member to our family!
We now have a foreign exchange daughter from Vietnam named Phoebe and we consider her to be our real daughter, a gift from God, an answer to a deep desire/prayer that I have harbored for decades. I am 56 and I finally got my girl!
She is a beauty beyond compare, brilliant, charming, artistic, musical, hardworking, compassionate, devoted and affectionate. She's more than I could ever hope for in a daughter and I am blessed by every moment that she spends in our home.
Phoebe and Seth get along as though they have been brother and sister for all of their lives. He is 15 and she is 17. He hides behind doors and jumps out at her when she walks through them, making his scariest monster noises to scare the daylights out of her. She screams, chases and threatens in her tiny sweet voice, "I'm going to kill you!" which is the reaction he was hoping to hear.
Anyway, we received our first real snow of the season yesterday and this was Phoebe's very first opportunity to play in the snow. We took photos, built snow sculptures, made snow angels, then played Fox and Geese all of which was great fun! When Phoebe got cold we went in and she discovered that her cell phone was missing, so we went back out to look for it.
As we searched I heard the church bells playing the hymn "Take It to the Lord in Prayer" which gave me hope that God was reassuring us that we would find it. I had already started to pray and was hoping to find it right away. After a half an hour of looking, Seth gave up and went into the house to make lunch.
I offered to buy Phoebe a new phone, but she replied, "No Mom, it's too expensive. I will find it." She then picked up a stick and proceeded to dig through every square inch of snow in our backyard which spans about an acre of land. I was impressed with her dogged determination and was reminded of the tenacity of the Vietnamese people during the war digging underground tunnels and then replanting the trees after the country had been defoliated by Agent Orange.
My love for Phoebe kept me out there looking as the hours passed slowly with my tummy growling and my ears getting cold. Disappointment and frustration swelled in my chest, but was counterbalanced by the joy of spending time with Phoebe in a perfectly beautiful setting. Out of the neighbors woods came the delightful song of the bird called a phoebe which is how our daughter got her name. "Do you hear that bird singing?" I inquired.
She repeated the song "Phoebe, phoebe, phoebe!" then gave me a smile and wrinkled her nose.
"From now on when I hear that song I will think about this moment with you looking through the snow for your phone!" I replied.
I knew how important the phone was, because our girl uses it to record the lectures at school so she can listen again at home to catch the words she missed. Besides, she accidentally shut her old phone in the car door two weeks earlier and her uncle replaced it for her.
I took a break and asked Seth to please pray for us to find the phone and he agreed. When I returned to the backyard a thought came into my mind of where the phone might be, so I went to the spot and swept the area with my feet. My boot struck an object, so I took off my glove to gently retrieve the cell phone from the cold wet snow. Holding it in the air I started to dance and shout "Praise the Lord!"
Phoebe bounded over to check the device to see if it was working and it was, so we flew into the house. I said to Seth, "Tell me the truth, did you just pray?" He nodded and Phoebe hugged him.
Brother got to be the hero, Mom got to be the companion, Sister got to be the recipient of a small miracle. We all got be the storytellers at suppertime when Daddy came home.
Love, Sue
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries this week!
It's been forever since I wrote to you and I apologize. I took a job as an activities provider at a memory care facility and have been working a lot. Plus we added a new member to our family!
We now have a foreign exchange daughter from Vietnam named Phoebe and we consider her to be our real daughter, a gift from God, an answer to a deep desire/prayer that I have harbored for decades. I am 56 and I finally got my girl!
She is a beauty beyond compare, brilliant, charming, artistic, musical, hardworking, compassionate, devoted and affectionate. She's more than I could ever hope for in a daughter and I am blessed by every moment that she spends in our home.
Phoebe and Seth get along as though they have been brother and sister for all of their lives. He is 15 and she is 17. He hides behind doors and jumps out at her when she walks through them, making his scariest monster noises to scare the daylights out of her. She screams, chases and threatens in her tiny sweet voice, "I'm going to kill you!" which is the reaction he was hoping to hear.
Anyway, we received our first real snow of the season yesterday and this was Phoebe's very first opportunity to play in the snow. We took photos, built snow sculptures, made snow angels, then played Fox and Geese all of which was great fun! When Phoebe got cold we went in and she discovered that her cell phone was missing, so we went back out to look for it.
As we searched I heard the church bells playing the hymn "Take It to the Lord in Prayer" which gave me hope that God was reassuring us that we would find it. I had already started to pray and was hoping to find it right away. After a half an hour of looking, Seth gave up and went into the house to make lunch.
I offered to buy Phoebe a new phone, but she replied, "No Mom, it's too expensive. I will find it." She then picked up a stick and proceeded to dig through every square inch of snow in our backyard which spans about an acre of land. I was impressed with her dogged determination and was reminded of the tenacity of the Vietnamese people during the war digging underground tunnels and then replanting the trees after the country had been defoliated by Agent Orange.
My love for Phoebe kept me out there looking as the hours passed slowly with my tummy growling and my ears getting cold. Disappointment and frustration swelled in my chest, but was counterbalanced by the joy of spending time with Phoebe in a perfectly beautiful setting. Out of the neighbors woods came the delightful song of the bird called a phoebe which is how our daughter got her name. "Do you hear that bird singing?" I inquired.
She repeated the song "Phoebe, phoebe, phoebe!" then gave me a smile and wrinkled her nose.
"From now on when I hear that song I will think about this moment with you looking through the snow for your phone!" I replied.
I knew how important the phone was, because our girl uses it to record the lectures at school so she can listen again at home to catch the words she missed. Besides, she accidentally shut her old phone in the car door two weeks earlier and her uncle replaced it for her.
I took a break and asked Seth to please pray for us to find the phone and he agreed. When I returned to the backyard a thought came into my mind of where the phone might be, so I went to the spot and swept the area with my feet. My boot struck an object, so I took off my glove to gently retrieve the cell phone from the cold wet snow. Holding it in the air I started to dance and shout "Praise the Lord!"
Phoebe bounded over to check the device to see if it was working and it was, so we flew into the house. I said to Seth, "Tell me the truth, did you just pray?" He nodded and Phoebe hugged him.
Brother got to be the hero, Mom got to be the companion, Sister got to be the recipient of a small miracle. We all got be the storytellers at suppertime when Daddy came home.
Love, Sue
Monday, August 8, 2011
Indigo Buntings
Dear Loved Ones,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries this week!
This summer I have spotted 3 Indigo Buntings and the only other time I ever spotted one was 30 years ago at Mackinaw Island. I am amazed!
So often I am saddened by the news of climate change and the decrease in the number of butterflies I spot. It is heartening to observe some joyful news!
I love God's creation with all of my heart!
I want to do everything I can to restore and preserve it.
Love, Suzie
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries this week!
This summer I have spotted 3 Indigo Buntings and the only other time I ever spotted one was 30 years ago at Mackinaw Island. I am amazed!
So often I am saddened by the news of climate change and the decrease in the number of butterflies I spot. It is heartening to observe some joyful news!
I love God's creation with all of my heart!
I want to do everything I can to restore and preserve it.
Love, Suzie
Monday, August 1, 2011
Goodbye Kitty
Dear Loved Ones,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries this week!
We said goodbye to our beloved kitty the other day. He is pushing daisies in the backyard, but I believe that his spirit is with God in heaven. I know that some churches don't believe that animals have souls, but I see it differently.
In the Book of Genesis it talks about God forming animals and breathing his breath into them the same as he did with human beings.
Also animals can love. God is love. The whole reason for being alive is to love.
Our cat purred up to the moment he died. He was all about loving and showing affection. I hope that I can "purr" up to the moment I die as well. I never want to outlive my ability to love and feel joy.
Much love, Suzie
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries this week!
We said goodbye to our beloved kitty the other day. He is pushing daisies in the backyard, but I believe that his spirit is with God in heaven. I know that some churches don't believe that animals have souls, but I see it differently.
In the Book of Genesis it talks about God forming animals and breathing his breath into them the same as he did with human beings.
Also animals can love. God is love. The whole reason for being alive is to love.
Our cat purred up to the moment he died. He was all about loving and showing affection. I hope that I can "purr" up to the moment I die as well. I never want to outlive my ability to love and feel joy.
Much love, Suzie
Monday, July 18, 2011
Changing Focus
Dear Loved Ones,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries this week!
My boss offered me more hours at work and I took them. My vocational focus has changed from creating art most of the time to providing activities in an Alzheimer's home.
Of course I reserve time for God, my family, friends, church and myself.
I paint one day a week now which is enough to keep me happy and healthy.
I love my job! I love seeing the older people smile when they have completed an art project or catch a ball, etc.. There is nothing like having busy hands to make a person happy.
Love, Sue
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries this week!
My boss offered me more hours at work and I took them. My vocational focus has changed from creating art most of the time to providing activities in an Alzheimer's home.
Of course I reserve time for God, my family, friends, church and myself.
I paint one day a week now which is enough to keep me happy and healthy.
I love my job! I love seeing the older people smile when they have completed an art project or catch a ball, etc.. There is nothing like having busy hands to make a person happy.
Love, Sue
Monday, July 11, 2011
Vacation at the Lake
Dear Loved Ones,
God bless you, yours and your ministries today!
There is nothing like diving into the chilly waters of Lake Michigan to wash away all of one's stress. It works like magic. After diving in about 20 times there was no way that stress could even think of coming near me. My stress level was far into the negative numbers!
Later when I felt the tug toward allowing negativity into my psyche a thought crossed my mind. I started calling myself "Stressfree Susie savory summer." It worked so I kept using it every time I felt my shoulders muscles tighten.
It takes practice, but I can do it more easily each day with larger triggers. I believe that I will be able to continue this practice until it becomes second nature and I can escape my historical weakness with stress management. What a liberation this is for me!
Since joining Weight Watchers last summer, I have been practicing the concept of being kind to myself and treating myself as I would treat my good friends. This stressfree thinking is one of the kindest things I ever did for myself!
Needless to say I had an awesome vacation and so did my family!
Love, Sue
God bless you, yours and your ministries today!
There is nothing like diving into the chilly waters of Lake Michigan to wash away all of one's stress. It works like magic. After diving in about 20 times there was no way that stress could even think of coming near me. My stress level was far into the negative numbers!
Later when I felt the tug toward allowing negativity into my psyche a thought crossed my mind. I started calling myself "Stressfree Susie savory summer." It worked so I kept using it every time I felt my shoulders muscles tighten.
It takes practice, but I can do it more easily each day with larger triggers. I believe that I will be able to continue this practice until it becomes second nature and I can escape my historical weakness with stress management. What a liberation this is for me!
Since joining Weight Watchers last summer, I have been practicing the concept of being kind to myself and treating myself as I would treat my good friends. This stressfree thinking is one of the kindest things I ever did for myself!
Needless to say I had an awesome vacation and so did my family!
Love, Sue
Monday, June 27, 2011
To Everything There Is a Season
Dear Loved Ones,
God bless you, yours and your ministries this week!
Our strawberry patch has been coming on like gangbusters for the past couple of weeks. Roger and I like to go out together to pick and it feels so right. Making freezer jam together for Father's Day is a ritual for us as a couple.
When we were newly weds and I did it for the first time, he remarked, "This jam is even better than my grandmother's!" (Wise words!) The next year when I did it, he sat down at the kitchen table, looked at the rows of jam with admiration and exuded, "I feel like I do on payday!" (Even wiser words!) You can see how it became a tradition.
I love going through the seasons with my loved ones, practicing our seasonal rituals which bring us even closer together. Life is awesome!
Love, Sue
God bless you, yours and your ministries this week!
Our strawberry patch has been coming on like gangbusters for the past couple of weeks. Roger and I like to go out together to pick and it feels so right. Making freezer jam together for Father's Day is a ritual for us as a couple.
When we were newly weds and I did it for the first time, he remarked, "This jam is even better than my grandmother's!" (Wise words!) The next year when I did it, he sat down at the kitchen table, looked at the rows of jam with admiration and exuded, "I feel like I do on payday!" (Even wiser words!) You can see how it became a tradition.
I love going through the seasons with my loved ones, practicing our seasonal rituals which bring us even closer together. Life is awesome!
Love, Sue
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
New Job
Dear Loved Ones,
God bless you, yours and your ministries today!
I'm sorry for neglecting you all lately, but everything I've done lately, I've done lately.
The reason is because I am getting used to a new job after being a full time artist for 6 years. The good news is I have a pay check. The bad news is I have less time to paint.
The job is working at Sensations Memory Care Residence as an Activities Director. The people and the work are wonderful. I can honestly say that I love my job.
My stepson, Rob, owns the business so he is my boss, but really God is my boss. I try to do everything I do to please God. When I am comforting a resident I am comforting Christ.
I live for the smiles that the residents give. I love helping a person make something and then see them smile at it with intense pleasure. There is nothing like it.
Many of the residents are in need of guidance to find their way around the facility. Their non verbal responses to the love I offer to them is very gratifying. They eat up the least little amount of affection and kindness.
Yesterday we constructed birdhouses and decorated them. One woman absolutely fell in love with hers.
This feels right for this time in my life. I still paint at least one day a week and hope for the day when I can easily afford to do it full time again.
Love, Sue
God bless you, yours and your ministries today!
I'm sorry for neglecting you all lately, but everything I've done lately, I've done lately.
The reason is because I am getting used to a new job after being a full time artist for 6 years. The good news is I have a pay check. The bad news is I have less time to paint.
The job is working at Sensations Memory Care Residence as an Activities Director. The people and the work are wonderful. I can honestly say that I love my job.
My stepson, Rob, owns the business so he is my boss, but really God is my boss. I try to do everything I do to please God. When I am comforting a resident I am comforting Christ.
I live for the smiles that the residents give. I love helping a person make something and then see them smile at it with intense pleasure. There is nothing like it.
Many of the residents are in need of guidance to find their way around the facility. Their non verbal responses to the love I offer to them is very gratifying. They eat up the least little amount of affection and kindness.
Yesterday we constructed birdhouses and decorated them. One woman absolutely fell in love with hers.
This feels right for this time in my life. I still paint at least one day a week and hope for the day when I can easily afford to do it full time again.
Love, Sue
Monday, May 23, 2011
Lost in the Woods
Dear Loved Ones,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
Once a week I try to do something fun for an hour or so as a favor to myself. This week I went for a walk in the woods with our dog and got lost. I loved being lost because it felt like an adventure and as long as I didn't get tired I knew I would find my way. After about a half an hour of hiking I recognized a land mark and came back to reality.
It was very satisfying to my soul to get lost and then find my way again.
Love, Sue
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
Once a week I try to do something fun for an hour or so as a favor to myself. This week I went for a walk in the woods with our dog and got lost. I loved being lost because it felt like an adventure and as long as I didn't get tired I knew I would find my way. After about a half an hour of hiking I recognized a land mark and came back to reality.
It was very satisfying to my soul to get lost and then find my way again.
Love, Sue
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Prayer Shawl
Dear Loved Ones,
God bless you, yours and your ministries this week!
My darling aunt knitted a prayer shawl for a friend of mine who was homeless for most of her adult life. Now my friend has an apartment and is pulling herself up by her bootstraps.
My aunt never met this friend and yet she was happy to spend days knitting and praying for my dear friend. Auntie said that she felt blessed as she did it in a letter to my friend that was given along with the shawl.
When I delivered the gift my friend put on the shawl, sat down, read the letter and cried tears of joy. She felt as if she were wrapped in God's love.
We were at an art fair and everyone admired the shawl; in fact they couldn't keep their hands off from it!
God's love can come through people. It's a blessing to be the recipient, but even more of a blessing to be the channel.
Love, Sue
God bless you, yours and your ministries this week!
My darling aunt knitted a prayer shawl for a friend of mine who was homeless for most of her adult life. Now my friend has an apartment and is pulling herself up by her bootstraps.
My aunt never met this friend and yet she was happy to spend days knitting and praying for my dear friend. Auntie said that she felt blessed as she did it in a letter to my friend that was given along with the shawl.
When I delivered the gift my friend put on the shawl, sat down, read the letter and cried tears of joy. She felt as if she were wrapped in God's love.
We were at an art fair and everyone admired the shawl; in fact they couldn't keep their hands off from it!
God's love can come through people. It's a blessing to be the recipient, but even more of a blessing to be the channel.
Love, Sue
Monday, May 9, 2011
A Mother's Dream
Dear Loved Ones,
God bless you, yours and your ministries this week!
On Mother's Day at church I met Maria who is the adult adopted daughter of my friend Karen. Maria had not been able to attend church before because she is a paraplegic and her van was in need of repair. Maria is a delightful person with a beautiful smile and we fell into a conversation about art, then she surprised me by telling me that she is able to draw landscapes by holding a pencil in her mouth so we are going to get together to make some art.
At the table with us was Kara who is Maria's beautiful birth daughter. Kara is seven years old and also an artist, so she wants to make art with us too.
One of Karen's other adult daughters, Helena, was there and she is also an artist, so she wants to join in the fun as well. I always say, "The more the merrier!"
Our conversation turned to adoption and then Karen told me the most incredible true story! She and her husband were in line to adopt a blue eyed blond boy and just before the adoption, she had a dream about a dark eyed, dark haired girl who was to be their daughter. She told her friends about it and they all said she was just overly anxious about the adoption and not to worry about her haunting dream. So they went through with their adoption and were very happy with their new son.
Six months later Karen received a call from her social worker who said, "I have a Christmas gift for you!"
Karen replied, "Well it had better be a girl" (because she came from a family with all brothers.)
When Karen went to look at Maria's file, she started to cry because the girl in the photograph was the girl she saw in her dream!
I can relate to Karen's story because our adoptive son became my son in the instant that I heard his name spoken to me over the phone by our social worker. I would have laid down my life for him. We were involved in several other failed adoptions and I never had that feeling for any of the other children.
God takes a hand in our lives. Many adoptive parents will agree.
Love, Sue
God bless you, yours and your ministries this week!
On Mother's Day at church I met Maria who is the adult adopted daughter of my friend Karen. Maria had not been able to attend church before because she is a paraplegic and her van was in need of repair. Maria is a delightful person with a beautiful smile and we fell into a conversation about art, then she surprised me by telling me that she is able to draw landscapes by holding a pencil in her mouth so we are going to get together to make some art.
At the table with us was Kara who is Maria's beautiful birth daughter. Kara is seven years old and also an artist, so she wants to make art with us too.
One of Karen's other adult daughters, Helena, was there and she is also an artist, so she wants to join in the fun as well. I always say, "The more the merrier!"
Our conversation turned to adoption and then Karen told me the most incredible true story! She and her husband were in line to adopt a blue eyed blond boy and just before the adoption, she had a dream about a dark eyed, dark haired girl who was to be their daughter. She told her friends about it and they all said she was just overly anxious about the adoption and not to worry about her haunting dream. So they went through with their adoption and were very happy with their new son.
Six months later Karen received a call from her social worker who said, "I have a Christmas gift for you!"
Karen replied, "Well it had better be a girl" (because she came from a family with all brothers.)
When Karen went to look at Maria's file, she started to cry because the girl in the photograph was the girl she saw in her dream!
I can relate to Karen's story because our adoptive son became my son in the instant that I heard his name spoken to me over the phone by our social worker. I would have laid down my life for him. We were involved in several other failed adoptions and I never had that feeling for any of the other children.
God takes a hand in our lives. Many adoptive parents will agree.
Love, Sue
Monday, May 2, 2011
Needful Things
Dear Friends,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries this week!
Life was crazy busy with the Vermontville Maple Syrup Festival this weekend, but in the midst of all of the commotion I had a magical moment. I was at church leading children's worship, sitting next to a toddler who was painting my hand with face paint. After my hand was covered he started in on his own using every color he could, so it ended up looking like a Jackson Pollack painting.
The joy in his face was amazing which warmed my heart. This was his first time ever coming to church and he loved his experience, partly because of the attention and encouragement that I gave to him to be creative.
Of all of the things I have done in the last few months I believe that this was the most important, because someday that little boy will grow up and face hard times. I want him to feel that he knows and can trust God to help him to "navigate the rapids that rise up along the river of his life."*
Love, Sue
*lyrics written by Michael Franks
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries this week!
Life was crazy busy with the Vermontville Maple Syrup Festival this weekend, but in the midst of all of the commotion I had a magical moment. I was at church leading children's worship, sitting next to a toddler who was painting my hand with face paint. After my hand was covered he started in on his own using every color he could, so it ended up looking like a Jackson Pollack painting.
The joy in his face was amazing which warmed my heart. This was his first time ever coming to church and he loved his experience, partly because of the attention and encouragement that I gave to him to be creative.
Of all of the things I have done in the last few months I believe that this was the most important, because someday that little boy will grow up and face hard times. I want him to feel that he knows and can trust God to help him to "navigate the rapids that rise up along the river of his life."*
Love, Sue
*lyrics written by Michael Franks
Monday, April 25, 2011
Mistake in Time
Dear Friends,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries this week!
Those who know me understand that my head is usually in the clouds where I am often confused.
This malady struck hard last Thursday when I accidentally dismissed my painting class for kids a half an hour early.
I will be giving an extra class at the end of the course to make up for my mistake at no cost to students or the Art Center of Battle Creek.
Love, Sue
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries this week!
Those who know me understand that my head is usually in the clouds where I am often confused.
This malady struck hard last Thursday when I accidentally dismissed my painting class for kids a half an hour early.
I will be giving an extra class at the end of the course to make up for my mistake at no cost to students or the Art Center of Battle Creek.
Love, Sue
Success of Approximation
Dear Friends,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries this week!
Have you ever almost reached a goal that you had set? How did it feel?
I have spent the last three years actively working to lose 40 lbs.. In the first year I lost 20 lbs. and in the 2nd year I maintained my weight. Then a friend invited me to join Weight Watchers with her. During this last year I lost 14 lbs. and then I hit another plateau, where it seemed impossible to move further.
At the beginning of Lent I decided to complete my quest for health by reaching my lifetime goal approved by Weight Watchers by Easter. I thought that the self discipline of Lent would help me as it has in the past when I needed to improve my health through changes in lifestyle.
There was a pamphlet published by W. W. called "Managing Your Thoughts" which I read and used. It suggested 3 steps toward success: the first was to be a friend to yourself by treating yourself as you would treat your best friend, with kindness and encouragement rather than criticism. The 2nd step was to make 2 columns side by side on a piece of paper, write your negative thoughts about yourself on the left and the opposite positive thought in the column on the right. This activity set me free from some very negative beliefs about myself! The 3rd step was to seek out and spend time with kind people.
Then I wrote notes to myself of encouragement and posted them all over the house. I believed those notes and was able to start losing weight in the very first week, which spurred me on to work even harder. The next few weeks did not produce results for me though and I started to doubt if I could succeed, which led me to regret my decision to set the goal in the first place. The last few weeks were successful however and when I weighed in at my meeting prior to Easter I was within eight tenths of a pound of my goal.
I chose to accept this as complete success rather than punish myself with perfectionism, so I gave away my big clothes and went shopping at Goodwill where I hit the jackpot with incredible bargains! I also visited the hairdresser who turned my odometer back 10,000 miles! On Easter morning I went to church glowing with joy from my recovered health and youth.
When I was a child our mother sewed matching Easter dresses for herself and the 3 of us girls. We all wore hats including Mom who wore a pink pill boxed shaped hat which sprouted with a garden of pink silk flowers! Of course we little ones wore our new white gloves and our slightly worn black patent leather shoes. Those were happy times and it felt good to revisit them by dressing up for this Easter as well.
Love, Sue
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries this week!
Have you ever almost reached a goal that you had set? How did it feel?
I have spent the last three years actively working to lose 40 lbs.. In the first year I lost 20 lbs. and in the 2nd year I maintained my weight. Then a friend invited me to join Weight Watchers with her. During this last year I lost 14 lbs. and then I hit another plateau, where it seemed impossible to move further.
At the beginning of Lent I decided to complete my quest for health by reaching my lifetime goal approved by Weight Watchers by Easter. I thought that the self discipline of Lent would help me as it has in the past when I needed to improve my health through changes in lifestyle.
There was a pamphlet published by W. W. called "Managing Your Thoughts" which I read and used. It suggested 3 steps toward success: the first was to be a friend to yourself by treating yourself as you would treat your best friend, with kindness and encouragement rather than criticism. The 2nd step was to make 2 columns side by side on a piece of paper, write your negative thoughts about yourself on the left and the opposite positive thought in the column on the right. This activity set me free from some very negative beliefs about myself! The 3rd step was to seek out and spend time with kind people.
Then I wrote notes to myself of encouragement and posted them all over the house. I believed those notes and was able to start losing weight in the very first week, which spurred me on to work even harder. The next few weeks did not produce results for me though and I started to doubt if I could succeed, which led me to regret my decision to set the goal in the first place. The last few weeks were successful however and when I weighed in at my meeting prior to Easter I was within eight tenths of a pound of my goal.
I chose to accept this as complete success rather than punish myself with perfectionism, so I gave away my big clothes and went shopping at Goodwill where I hit the jackpot with incredible bargains! I also visited the hairdresser who turned my odometer back 10,000 miles! On Easter morning I went to church glowing with joy from my recovered health and youth.
When I was a child our mother sewed matching Easter dresses for herself and the 3 of us girls. We all wore hats including Mom who wore a pink pill boxed shaped hat which sprouted with a garden of pink silk flowers! Of course we little ones wore our new white gloves and our slightly worn black patent leather shoes. Those were happy times and it felt good to revisit them by dressing up for this Easter as well.
Love, Sue
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
New Art
Dear Friends,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
I started reading "Vein of Gold" by Julia Cameron yesterday and following the advice, which has benifited my artwork already! I am onto something new. I call it my "Danish Modern Caribbean Michigan Art."
The thing that inspired me the most is the idea that only creativity can cure an aritistic injury, even if it's "bad art" or "crafts." So I set out to do some bad art and I love it. When I am thinking of my painting as a prototype or a first draft or a study for a better painting then my freedom emerges and I let loose with some unbridled creativity that results in a creative binge where I don't care how hungry, sore or tired I am. My bladder is the only thing that will get me to stop for a break.
Love, Sue
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
I started reading "Vein of Gold" by Julia Cameron yesterday and following the advice, which has benifited my artwork already! I am onto something new. I call it my "Danish Modern Caribbean Michigan Art."
The thing that inspired me the most is the idea that only creativity can cure an aritistic injury, even if it's "bad art" or "crafts." So I set out to do some bad art and I love it. When I am thinking of my painting as a prototype or a first draft or a study for a better painting then my freedom emerges and I let loose with some unbridled creativity that results in a creative binge where I don't care how hungry, sore or tired I am. My bladder is the only thing that will get me to stop for a break.
Love, Sue
Monday, April 18, 2011
Snow in April
Dear Friends,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
My poor daffodils are brave, yet fallen soldiers of cheer.
Love, Sue
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
My poor daffodils are brave, yet fallen soldiers of cheer.
Love, Sue
Friday, April 15, 2011
Children Painting
Dear Friends,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries!
Last night I had the honor of teaching acrylic painting to a class of 10 children who ranged in age from 4 to 12. What fun!
We played a game to help each other learn our names, which involved going around the circle introducing ourselves, saying our favorite color and reciting the names and favorite colors of all of the people who introduced themselves before us. It's easy for the first person, but the last person in the circle has the hardest job to remember all of those names and colors.
So here are the first names of the kids and their favorite colors:
Hadley likes blue.
Abby likes blue.
Allie likes red.
Kira likes red.
Rebecca likes pink.
Delany likes purple.
Alberto likes red.
Genna likes purple.
Alex likes red.
Sophia likes green.
One boy painted more paintings than anyone else and a tiny girl was concerned that she hadn't painted enough paintings to please me or her mom. I knelt down in front of her and said, "It doesn't matter how many paintings you make or how good they are, what matters is that you have fun painting them."
She listened with all of her heart and I think she might have believed me. I hope so.
Love, Sue
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries!
Last night I had the honor of teaching acrylic painting to a class of 10 children who ranged in age from 4 to 12. What fun!
We played a game to help each other learn our names, which involved going around the circle introducing ourselves, saying our favorite color and reciting the names and favorite colors of all of the people who introduced themselves before us. It's easy for the first person, but the last person in the circle has the hardest job to remember all of those names and colors.
So here are the first names of the kids and their favorite colors:
Hadley likes blue.
Abby likes blue.
Allie likes red.
Kira likes red.
Rebecca likes pink.
Delany likes purple.
Alberto likes red.
Genna likes purple.
Alex likes red.
Sophia likes green.
One boy painted more paintings than anyone else and a tiny girl was concerned that she hadn't painted enough paintings to please me or her mom. I knelt down in front of her and said, "It doesn't matter how many paintings you make or how good they are, what matters is that you have fun painting them."
She listened with all of her heart and I think she might have believed me. I hope so.
Love, Sue
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Kitchen Update
Dear Friends,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
Our son is back at school, so I am working on the kitchen redecorating project by myself, stilling going slowly to baby my sore arm. This morning the spring sunshine beamed down on me through the window as I painted the window sill and I thought I was in heaven!
Thank you God for the joy of spring!
Love, Sue
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
Our son is back at school, so I am working on the kitchen redecorating project by myself, stilling going slowly to baby my sore arm. This morning the spring sunshine beamed down on me through the window as I painted the window sill and I thought I was in heaven!
Thank you God for the joy of spring!
Love, Sue
Monday, April 11, 2011
Sabbath Rest
Dear Friends,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
During church yesterday my arm was talking to me, so I decided to go to the woods for a walk in the afternoon instead of painting the kitchen. My husband went with me and we took our puppy who bounded around taking flying leaps of joy to celebrate his freedom and the love of being a dog in the woods. The wildflowers are coming up, but not blossoming yet. We saw deer and signs of coyotes. The streams are flowing and everything is moist. It was all very wonderful.
Today is Monday and it's time to get back to work on my kitchen project. My arm is still sore, so I am pacing myself, but my soul is refreshed from my Sabbath rest.
Love, Sue
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
During church yesterday my arm was talking to me, so I decided to go to the woods for a walk in the afternoon instead of painting the kitchen. My husband went with me and we took our puppy who bounded around taking flying leaps of joy to celebrate his freedom and the love of being a dog in the woods. The wildflowers are coming up, but not blossoming yet. We saw deer and signs of coyotes. The streams are flowing and everything is moist. It was all very wonderful.
Today is Monday and it's time to get back to work on my kitchen project. My arm is still sore, so I am pacing myself, but my soul is refreshed from my Sabbath rest.
Love, Sue
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Redecorating the Kitchen
Dear Friends,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
On April 4, 1993 I married my best friend and moved into his dump, I mean house. I went from room to room redecorating and remodeling, but that was 18 years ago and nature has begun to take over again, so I decided to redecorate the kitchen. Our 15 year old son is helping me to try to give this space a fresh look with a minuscule budget. In the basement I found a 5 gallon tub of white barn paint and we are re coating almost every surface in the kitchen with it, including the ceiling, counter tops, refrigerator, microwave, cupboards, trim and of course the walls. I was tempted to paint the linoleum, but stopped myself just in the nick of time. We are about 2/3rds of the way done and I cannot believe how much better it looks!
But the best part is that our son and I remained harmonious so far throughout the project. I was sorely tempted to spout off a few times, but put myself in time out to repeat the Lord's Prayer until I got past my cantankerous mood. I like thinking about our time together as a play date between two kids who are playing house and making happy memories along the way. We took photos and have been getting lots of rest during our breaks so that our tempers remain calm. We considered wallpapering together, but then a better idea came into my mind. Painting together is much more likely to end in a peaceful outcome.
Love, Sue
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
On April 4, 1993 I married my best friend and moved into his dump, I mean house. I went from room to room redecorating and remodeling, but that was 18 years ago and nature has begun to take over again, so I decided to redecorate the kitchen. Our 15 year old son is helping me to try to give this space a fresh look with a minuscule budget. In the basement I found a 5 gallon tub of white barn paint and we are re coating almost every surface in the kitchen with it, including the ceiling, counter tops, refrigerator, microwave, cupboards, trim and of course the walls. I was tempted to paint the linoleum, but stopped myself just in the nick of time. We are about 2/3rds of the way done and I cannot believe how much better it looks!
But the best part is that our son and I remained harmonious so far throughout the project. I was sorely tempted to spout off a few times, but put myself in time out to repeat the Lord's Prayer until I got past my cantankerous mood. I like thinking about our time together as a play date between two kids who are playing house and making happy memories along the way. We took photos and have been getting lots of rest during our breaks so that our tempers remain calm. We considered wallpapering together, but then a better idea came into my mind. Painting together is much more likely to end in a peaceful outcome.
Love, Sue
Monday, April 4, 2011
Niece's Ex-fiance
Dear Loved Ones,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministry today!
For April Fool's Day my niece's boyfriend posted on facebook that they were engaged without telling my niece. She received calls from all over the country congratulating her on their engagement! Now my niece is referring to her boyfriend as her "ex-fiance!" It's all in good fun, they are still madly in love. Young love is refreshing!
Love, Sue
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministry today!
For April Fool's Day my niece's boyfriend posted on facebook that they were engaged without telling my niece. She received calls from all over the country congratulating her on their engagement! Now my niece is referring to her boyfriend as her "ex-fiance!" It's all in good fun, they are still madly in love. Young love is refreshing!
Love, Sue
Monday, March 21, 2011
Garden of Gethsemane
Dear Loved Ones,
God bless you, your family and friends and your ministries today!
All of my life people have pointed out to me that I'm "way too sensitive!" I constantly work on this foible of mine yet I still hear those words, so when I noticed that even Jesus got hurt feelings when his best buddies fell asleep on him when he needed them the most, I took heart. Christ set the perfect example of how to handle the hurt by forgiving them. Thank you Jesus!
Love, Sue
God bless you, your family and friends and your ministries today!
All of my life people have pointed out to me that I'm "way too sensitive!" I constantly work on this foible of mine yet I still hear those words, so when I noticed that even Jesus got hurt feelings when his best buddies fell asleep on him when he needed them the most, I took heart. Christ set the perfect example of how to handle the hurt by forgiving them. Thank you Jesus!
Love, Sue
Monday, March 14, 2011
Painting Prayers
Dear Friends,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
We went to see our high school production of "Les Miserables" this weekend and I found myself being profoundly moved by the line, "To love another person is to look into the face of God." How true!
Love, Sue
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
We went to see our high school production of "Les Miserables" this weekend and I found myself being profoundly moved by the line, "To love another person is to look into the face of God." How true!
Love, Sue
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Lost in Time in the Library
Dear Friends,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
Yesterday I was supposed to meet a friend at a certain time to go to a meeting together and I had extra time, so I hung out in the library. I lost track of time and got to the meeting just before it ended! My friend was very forgiving thankfully!
It took me back to my childhood in the 2nd grade when I went to the library after school to browse. I remember having such a lovely time with the books. But my pleasure turned to horror when I left and realized I had missed the bus! I tearfully went to the office for help.
My mom didn't have a car, so the neighbor lady picked me up from school. It was totally embarassing and I never missed the bus again.
I still love browsing books in the library as much as I did in 2nd grade and I haven't lost track of time like that in a long time. There is something wonderful about being so engrossed that time flies by without a trace.
Love, Sue
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
Yesterday I was supposed to meet a friend at a certain time to go to a meeting together and I had extra time, so I hung out in the library. I lost track of time and got to the meeting just before it ended! My friend was very forgiving thankfully!
It took me back to my childhood in the 2nd grade when I went to the library after school to browse. I remember having such a lovely time with the books. But my pleasure turned to horror when I left and realized I had missed the bus! I tearfully went to the office for help.
My mom didn't have a car, so the neighbor lady picked me up from school. It was totally embarassing and I never missed the bus again.
I still love browsing books in the library as much as I did in 2nd grade and I haven't lost track of time like that in a long time. There is something wonderful about being so engrossed that time flies by without a trace.
Love, Sue
Monday, February 28, 2011
New Website
Dear Friends,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
I created a new website for myself: www.suetrowbridgeart.weebly.com Please check it out.
I am thrilled for a new week of painting on my prayers for Mother Nature. I am hoping that my images of birds singing and flowers blooming will help me hold out until spring actually arrives. When it does get here I will paint my arms and legs with flowers and do a happy dance!
Love, Sue
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
I created a new website for myself: www.suetrowbridgeart.weebly.com Please check it out.
I am thrilled for a new week of painting on my prayers for Mother Nature. I am hoping that my images of birds singing and flowers blooming will help me hold out until spring actually arrives. When it does get here I will paint my arms and legs with flowers and do a happy dance!
Love, Sue
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Snowed In
Dear Friends,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
Remember how fun snow days were when you were a kid?
We had two this week so our son and I did our traditional snow day activity which is playing "Fox and Geese." I caught his clothes five times (which is a record for me) and because he couldn't feel it he argued that it didn't count. When I said I don't lie, he replied, "What about Santa?" But I ignored that, stopped chasing him and started running away which worked because he chased me. Of course it took 2 seconds for him to catch me and I got so tired I crashed in the snow to avoid heart failure.
While I was down I noticed how colorful the sparkles in the snow were up close; it was like seeing a zillion tiny rainbows. I made a snow angel and got up for another round, but after being the fox nonstop and having to crash again I decided it was time for lunch. Luckily, he agreed and we shared a nice meal together.
I read another book that he recommended called "The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks which was excellant. Our son loved the 10 year old male character named Jonah the best and cited how cute he was watching cartoons upside down, asking his sister why she was looking for a dress in her closet when there was no dress in her closet and protesting about having to wait until after meals to eat his dearly loved Oreo cookies.
Being book buddies with our kid is the best!
Somehow I managed to get a lot of painting done this week, so I am hoping to post 4 new paintings on Friday of this week.
Love, Sue
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
Remember how fun snow days were when you were a kid?
We had two this week so our son and I did our traditional snow day activity which is playing "Fox and Geese." I caught his clothes five times (which is a record for me) and because he couldn't feel it he argued that it didn't count. When I said I don't lie, he replied, "What about Santa?" But I ignored that, stopped chasing him and started running away which worked because he chased me. Of course it took 2 seconds for him to catch me and I got so tired I crashed in the snow to avoid heart failure.
While I was down I noticed how colorful the sparkles in the snow were up close; it was like seeing a zillion tiny rainbows. I made a snow angel and got up for another round, but after being the fox nonstop and having to crash again I decided it was time for lunch. Luckily, he agreed and we shared a nice meal together.
I read another book that he recommended called "The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks which was excellant. Our son loved the 10 year old male character named Jonah the best and cited how cute he was watching cartoons upside down, asking his sister why she was looking for a dress in her closet when there was no dress in her closet and protesting about having to wait until after meals to eat his dearly loved Oreo cookies.
Being book buddies with our kid is the best!
Somehow I managed to get a lot of painting done this week, so I am hoping to post 4 new paintings on Friday of this week.
Love, Sue
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Balancing Act
Dear Friends,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
I am blessed to have a 15 year old who wants me to be "book buddies" with me, but he reads much faster than I do and he has more time for it. He recommended "The Hunger Games" series to me and I became so engrossed, I couldn't put them down and lost 4 days of working at my regular duties. It even cost me a fair amount of painting time!
I'm glad I took the time, because connecting with him is more important than even painting, but now that he wants me to read this that and the other thing, I have to figure out how to fit all this reading into my schedule without interupting my painting time or letting our house completely go back to nature.
Seeing the movie version of his books helps me to fit his passion into my life. Last night we went to see "I Am Number Four" which all three members of our little trio enjoyed. There was action for the guys and romance for me.
This is a good problem to have. our son has finally moved beyond the stage of wanting nothing to do with us. It's work connecting with teens, but it's so worth the time and energy.
Love, Sue
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
I am blessed to have a 15 year old who wants me to be "book buddies" with me, but he reads much faster than I do and he has more time for it. He recommended "The Hunger Games" series to me and I became so engrossed, I couldn't put them down and lost 4 days of working at my regular duties. It even cost me a fair amount of painting time!
I'm glad I took the time, because connecting with him is more important than even painting, but now that he wants me to read this that and the other thing, I have to figure out how to fit all this reading into my schedule without interupting my painting time or letting our house completely go back to nature.
Seeing the movie version of his books helps me to fit his passion into my life. Last night we went to see "I Am Number Four" which all three members of our little trio enjoyed. There was action for the guys and romance for me.
This is a good problem to have. our son has finally moved beyond the stage of wanting nothing to do with us. It's work connecting with teens, but it's so worth the time and energy.
Love, Sue
Friday, February 18, 2011
New Artist on the Horizen
Dear Friends,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
I love teaching people to paint in oils! There is a new student in our group named Judy who is a naturally gifted African American folk artist. Her work is not only good, it's humorous. As soon as I get her permission I will give you her full name and a photo of her work.
Finding new talent is what American Idol is all about and it's fun to discover someone new who can move us to tears or laughter. I feel honored to be Judy's teacher.
Love, Sue
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
I love teaching people to paint in oils! There is a new student in our group named Judy who is a naturally gifted African American folk artist. Her work is not only good, it's humorous. As soon as I get her permission I will give you her full name and a photo of her work.
Finding new talent is what American Idol is all about and it's fun to discover someone new who can move us to tears or laughter. I feel honored to be Judy's teacher.
Love, Sue
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Painting with Friends
Dear Loved Ones,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
Today I go to the Art Center of Battle Creek to teach, share a potluck and paint together with my friends. Painting in community bonds people to one another, because painting is a pleasurable activity. It reminds me of eating a meal with one's family and friends, or playing a game or going to a movie.
The added element of making it into a habit or ritual makes the bond even stronger. Our group of friends has been gathering to paint together on Thursdays for 15 years now. That's a lot of commitment and a lot of fun!
Love, Sue
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
Today I go to the Art Center of Battle Creek to teach, share a potluck and paint together with my friends. Painting in community bonds people to one another, because painting is a pleasurable activity. It reminds me of eating a meal with one's family and friends, or playing a game or going to a movie.
The added element of making it into a habit or ritual makes the bond even stronger. Our group of friends has been gathering to paint together on Thursdays for 15 years now. That's a lot of commitment and a lot of fun!
Love, Sue
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
New Web Site
Dear Loved Ones,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
I just created a new website today. It's in the infancy stage, but soon I hope to add more to it. The address is http://www.suetrowbridgeart.weebly.com/ . Please check it out.
Love, Sue
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries today!
I just created a new website today. It's in the infancy stage, but soon I hope to add more to it. The address is http://www.suetrowbridgeart.weebly.com/ . Please check it out.
Love, Sue
Monday, February 7, 2011
Earthprayers
Dear Loved Ones,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries this week!!
I am working on a new series of 12 paintings called "Earthprayers." They are happy images of a world filled with pure rivers, blooming flowers, joyful people, healthy animals, abundant forests, fruitful fields, and clean skies. I pray for the restoration and preservation of nature in all of its glory as I paint.
Like many of you, I am greatly concerned about ecology. This is one of the ways I can cope with my grief and fears for the earth.
I have limited my pallette to the six tertiary colors (blue violet, blue green, yellow green, yellow orange, red orange, and red violet) plus black and white. All of my colors are clean, which means that there is no brown or gray in them. (I just realized that this is symbolic of my prayers for a clean environment!) I do allow myself to mix my colors with white, but not with black.
The clear colors give the work a Caribbean feel, even though much of my imagery is very Michigan in nature. The canvases are mostly 16"x 20" so the bright colors act like accents in a room and don't feel overwhelming. The walls in our home are lined with them and they bring such joy into our home! I love to live with them and miss them when I take them out of the house to show them.
They are my babies and it's hard for me to adopt them out. I always hope they find good homes.
I hope to post them soon so you can see them.
Love, Sue
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries this week!!
I am working on a new series of 12 paintings called "Earthprayers." They are happy images of a world filled with pure rivers, blooming flowers, joyful people, healthy animals, abundant forests, fruitful fields, and clean skies. I pray for the restoration and preservation of nature in all of its glory as I paint.
Like many of you, I am greatly concerned about ecology. This is one of the ways I can cope with my grief and fears for the earth.
I have limited my pallette to the six tertiary colors (blue violet, blue green, yellow green, yellow orange, red orange, and red violet) plus black and white. All of my colors are clean, which means that there is no brown or gray in them. (I just realized that this is symbolic of my prayers for a clean environment!) I do allow myself to mix my colors with white, but not with black.
The clear colors give the work a Caribbean feel, even though much of my imagery is very Michigan in nature. The canvases are mostly 16"x 20" so the bright colors act like accents in a room and don't feel overwhelming. The walls in our home are lined with them and they bring such joy into our home! I love to live with them and miss them when I take them out of the house to show them.
They are my babies and it's hard for me to adopt them out. I always hope they find good homes.
I hope to post them soon so you can see them.
Love, Sue
Monday, January 31, 2011
Mom is Failing Fast
Dear Friends,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries this week!
This weekend we drove through a snowstorm with cars off the road to the left and the right to see my mom who is failing fast. It's a good thing that we did. It was a heartbreaking visit.
This morning I was sitting at the breakfast table crying over my mom and my puppy heard me. He came racing at top speed to jump in my lap and lick my face. He gave me an amazingly sympathetic look. It felt like God was comforting me through my pooch.
It's heartening to know that pure love wins out in the end over anything else. Life really is simple after all.
Love, Sue
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries this week!
This weekend we drove through a snowstorm with cars off the road to the left and the right to see my mom who is failing fast. It's a good thing that we did. It was a heartbreaking visit.
This morning I was sitting at the breakfast table crying over my mom and my puppy heard me. He came racing at top speed to jump in my lap and lick my face. He gave me an amazingly sympathetic look. It felt like God was comforting me through my pooch.
It's heartening to know that pure love wins out in the end over anything else. Life really is simple after all.
Love, Sue
Monday, January 24, 2011
Painted Prayers for the Earth
Dear Friends,
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries this week!
I am working on a new series of paintings called, "Painted Prayers for the Earth". They are similar in style to the Painted Prayers for Haiti except I am limiting my pallette to the six tertiary colors (red/orange, red/violet, blue violet, blue green, yellow green, and yellow/orange) plus black and white. All of my colors will be clean, which means that none of them will be mixed with brown, gray or black. I will mix them with white though.
I am working on one that I started last Wed. morning. I worked on it for 3 days in a row and took the weekend off to spend time with my family.
It is only about 1/2 way done. When I finish, I will post it for you to see.
Love, Sue
God bless you, your loved ones and your ministries this week!
I am working on a new series of paintings called, "Painted Prayers for the Earth". They are similar in style to the Painted Prayers for Haiti except I am limiting my pallette to the six tertiary colors (red/orange, red/violet, blue violet, blue green, yellow green, and yellow/orange) plus black and white. All of my colors will be clean, which means that none of them will be mixed with brown, gray or black. I will mix them with white though.
I am working on one that I started last Wed. morning. I worked on it for 3 days in a row and took the weekend off to spend time with my family.
It is only about 1/2 way done. When I finish, I will post it for you to see.
Love, Sue
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